Night of Nights
by periwinkled
Summary: One-shot. Several years following Endless Waltz, the gang reunites to celebrate peace and each other in a touching Christmas gathering.


Disclaimer: I neither own nor claim to own any part of the Gundam Wing manga and anime.  
  
The house was lit up like Christmas. It was Christmas Eve, after all, but in the years following A.C. 196, the holiday took on increasing meaning. To the men who watched the stars from a bay window at the back of the house, it was everything. They spoke quietly, when they spoke at all, too in tune with one another to require many words.  
"She's content tonight."  
"As she should be. And you?"  
"We're alive, Trowa. We succeeded." The blonde head shook slowly. "It never seems to lose its wonder."  
The darker man bowed his head in response, and affectionately laid his hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "Quatre."  
He leaned into the familiar warmth. "When will they all arrive, do you suppose?"  
"Soon."  
  
The sleek black car approached a cheerful home and stopped, waiting the approach of a valet. The driver exited and handed the keys to the young man. The passenger door of the car opened, and one slim ankle could be seen descending towards the cobblestones beneath before being joined by a second. A figure attempted to rise from the low seat, and then paused. Tried again, and then sighed resignedly. "A little help, please?"  
  
The driver smirked, and then leaned down to aid his wife in rising. Once situated on her feet, she sent her husband a smirk of her own. "Don't think I didn't see that."  
  
Aiding her to the door, the man kept his arm secured around her waist and reached for the doorbell, only to meet excited blue eyes through the open door.  
  
"Heero! Relena! Come in, come out of the cold." He ushered them in and took Heero's coat as he aided Relena in ridding herself of hers.  
  
"There are still bags in the car. Luggage and gifts," Heero stated. Quatre allowed himself a moment to wonder at hearing Heero's monotone offer something so.domestic, and then mentally shook himself.  
  
"Of course. Glenda will bring them in." As if on cue, the maid entered with the bags of presents that Relena spent months searching out and wrapping and took them into the next room. Quatre answered Relena's questioning gaze. "The Christmas tree." She nodded, then groaned softly and placed a hand to her lower back.  
  
"Is there someplace soft I can dock?" The blonde man laughed and ushered her into the next room. The taller men walked a pace behind.  
  
With a glance at his companion, whose eyes were fixed on his wife, Trowa asked quietly, "She's healthy?" A soft smile touched Heero's lips and he nodded, his gaze still trained on her as she slowly made her way to the couch and sank into it with a sigh of relief. Relena looked up then, smiling and catching Heero's eye. He nodded once more to Trowa before joining his wife on the couch. With a smile of his own, Trowa moved to stand behind the chair in which Quatre had seated himself.  
  
Quatre glanced up at Trowa before inquiring to Relena about her health and that of the baby. With one hand resting on her rounded middle and another under her husband's hand, Relena replied that they were both very well, thank you, and Quatre was inclined to agree. The former queen of the world was flush with health, positively glowing, in fact. He'd never seen her so happy. However, before any further conversation could be made, the doorbell was heard once more, then the sound of the door opening and closing, followed shortly after by a loud and very distinctive voice.  
  
"Hey, where's the party?" Duo had arrived.  
  
Quatre stood. "In here, Duo, Hilde." The former pilot of the Gundam Deathscyth entered the room in an excited rush, but instead of embracing everyone in sight, as they all expected him to do, Duo stopped in the middle of the room and looked up. In the hush, a tiny voice was heard from the bundle of blankets in Duo's arms.  
  
"Papa! Tree!" Duo only smiled.  
  
"See, Solo? I told you your Uncles Quatre and Trowa would have the biggest Christmas tree in the world." The bundle responded.  
  
"No, Papa. Galaxy."  
  
This time Hilde responded, as she stepped up and retrieved the bundle from her husband, unwrapping the blankets to reveal a small child. "That's right, baby. It's the biggest Christmas tree in the whole galaxy." She looked up at the other occupants in the room and grinned. "Merry Christmas, everyone."  
  
Trowa nodded, Quatre's smile was beamingly bright as he stood to embrace his old friends. Relena was working too hard fighting back tears to speak, and even Heero's eyes were suspiciously bright. He squeezed his wife's hand, and then also stood to greet the newcomers. The baby had been handed back to Duo, and Hilde took Heero's place on the couch and hugged her friend before setting to the task of catching up with her.  
  
Quatre also wandered over to the women. "Relena, I had a call from Miss Noin this morning. She sent holiday greetings to all of us, but particularly to you. She also informed me that Zechs expects to be informed as soon as anything changes."  
  
Relena sighed. "Oh, Milliardo. I'll call then as soon as we return from our visit here. Thank you, Quatre."  
  
The noise in the room must have blocked out that of the doorbell, for it was only with Duo's shout of "Wu-man!" that anyone realized that the last of the group had arrived. Wufei only barely managed to nod in greeting before Duo caught him up in a hug. Quatre and Hilde both stood then, Quatre to greet his newest guest, and Hilde to retrieve her son from the commotion threatening to ensue. Heero returned to his seat next to Relena and once again took her hand.  
  
She smiled and leaned her head against the familiar shoulder. "You're happy to see them all again." No answer was necessary, but she felt the warmth as he kissed the crown of her head and responded with his trademark "Hn." Relena's grin spread before she sat up straight, realizing something. "Wufei. Where's Sally?"  
  
Also seeing the absence, their host concurred. "That's right, Wufei, on the phone you both said that you were planning on coming."  
  
Wufei nodded at Quatre. "She was planning on being here. Something important came up, something that Lady Une usually takes care of, and the woman volunteered to stay."  
  
Quatre finished the thought aloud for the taciturn Chinese man. "So that Lady Une can spend Christmas with Mariemaia. That's so thoughtful of her. We'll be sure to call her tomorrow to wish her happy holidays." Wufei nodded in response, and Heero noted the warmth and pride in his eyes, the affection in his voice when he'd referred to her as "the woman."  
  
'It seems that Wufei's found his place in this new world of ours.' His gaze continued to travel the room, landing on Duo, with one arm wrapped around his wife, whose arms were full of his son, happily sucking his thumb; then moving to Quatre, contentedly leaning against Trowa, at home in a room full of friends; then to Trowa, who was gazing warmly at the shorter man leaning on his chest, his flute lying in sight on a table nearby; and finally landing on where his own hand lay entwined with Relena's. He smiled, a small and fleeting movement, and then stood, helping his wife to stand with him.  
  
Picking up a glass of champagne from a nearby tray a servant had left, he spoke. "I propose a toast." The announcement was met with various sounds of approval accompanied by clinking glasses as the group readied themselves. Heero nodded at Wufei, who raised his glass first.  
  
"To justice."  
  
Then to Duo. "To family."  
  
And Quatre. "To friends"  
  
And Trowa. "To memories." The group looked expectantly at Heero, who was last to raise his glass.  
  
"To peace."  
  
With a murmur of agreement, the others raised their glasses almost reverently before drinking.  
  
The mood was soon broken by Duo's sudden sighting of the mounds of presents beneath the tree, and the gathering continued happily.  
  
And so it was on that night of nights that the world was at peace and the universe that Quatre spoke of so fondly was indeed content. 


End file.
